Wilhelm Strasse (MachineGames)
Wilhelm 'Deathshead' Strasse is a gifted researcher and doctor who heads the SS Special Projects Division. His rank in Return to Castle Wolfenstein is Oberführer (Senior Colonel), but later he is promoted to Obergruppenführer (General (SS)). Biography Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001) Oberführer (Senior Colonel) Wilhelm Strasse or Deathshead is a gifted researcher who heads the SS Special Projects Division. He is the man behind both the Lopers, and the Super Soldiers, towering cyborg soldiers that were heavily armed and armored. Unlike the other SS antagonists, Deathshead does not believe in the occult and would prefer to arm the Nazi war machine using advanced technology, but has been ordered to provide his creations to Operation Resurrection by Himmler himself. Himmler has also asked him to join the resurrection ceremony but Strasse declines due to his disbelief in the occult. Strasse continuously taunts Blazkowicz during his duel in the lab with an Übersoldat, commenting "Thus we will see the superiority of the machine over flesh and blood". After the protagonist wins the fight, Deathshead narrowly escapes in a rocket plane and goes into hiding, not to be seen again for the rest of the story. Wolfenstein (2009) In the new Wolfenstein, Strasse (now holding the rank of a General), is revealed to be the main antagonist of the game. Having been summoned from Berlin to replace the deceased General Zetta, Deathshead resumes the latter's research into Veil Technology. Employing the formidable Hans Grosse as his bodyguard, Deathshead orchestrated the capture of Kreisau Circle leader Caroline Becker and held her hostage at his castle base. While constructing a Veil Portal, Deathshead had the opportunity to exact revenge on Blazkowicz as he arrived to save Caroline. Unfortunately, he missed out on it as Caroline's interference destroyed his portal, forcing him and Hans to flee the area while Blazkowicz dealt with the Queen Geist. Having done enough work on Veil technology, Deathshead constructed a Veil weapon on his large zeppelin and planned to test it on Isenstadt before unleashing it on the Allied Powers. With Hans behind him, Deathshead entered the Black Sun Dimension where the weapon was installed and is greeted by Blazkowicz. Already expecting the American to follow him, Deathshead revealed to Blazkowicz an armored and Veil empowered Hans and returned to the zeppelin to oversee the weapons test, ordering Hans to kill Blazkowicz. To his shock, not only did he see an alive Blazkowicz emerge from the portal, Deathshead noticed that Blazkowicz had destroyed the Veil weapon and severely damaged the zeppelin causing it to crash into the castle base in a fiery wreck. While Blazkowicz hoped his archenemy had perished, he had a feeling that the mad doctor survived. True enough, a battered and bruised Deathshead emerged from the wreckage and screamed into the sky in anger. Trivia *Strasse earned his nickname from his skull-like visage, which has a scar running across it (the nickname also may be a reference to the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf symbol used by Himmler and the Gestapo). *In the Wolfenstein installation for 2009, Strasse's name is alternately spelled "Wilhelm Strauss". This may be the English spelling of his German last name, Strasse. *Dr. Strasse is based on Dr. Schabbs according to the Return to Castle Wolfenstein manual. He has much in common with him. Both are doctors who are very scientifically educated and both have developed ultimate creations; Strasse's technological brainchild is the Ubersoldat and Schabbs' biological masterpiece is the Ubermutant. *Wilhelm Strasse's creations include Lopers and Ubersoldaten. *Despite being listed as an SS-Oberfürher (rank between SS-Colonel and SS-Brigade General) and later SS-Obergruppenführer (SS-General), the insignia on his collar in Wolfenstein lists him as an SS-Obersturmführer (SS-Lieutenant), however the insignia as an SS-Obergruppenfürher in Return to Castle Wolfenstein is correct. Category:Characters Category:RtCW Characters